29: Bridging the Emotional Gap in Marriage: Partnership and Parenthood with Alex Sall and Mosh Oinounou

Listen to this episode from We Didn't Turn Out OK with Jennie Monness on Spotify. Ever wonder how you’ll ever bridge the gap between you and your spouse’s wildly different ways of handling emotions and challenges? Me too. That's why this episode is for you, me, all of us. In this deeply honest episode, I sit down with journalist Mosheh Oinounou—who you may know as Mosheh of Mo’ News—and his wife, my dear friend, marketing agent Alex Sall. We talk about how they’ve built their relationship from the inside out. From a couples retreat at Kripalu, six months into dating to navigating parenthood with a shared vision, they’ve done the work before the chaos, and it shows. We unpack how their childhoods—shaped their early dynamics, how they’ve bridged emotional gaps with tools like the Gottmans’ Bringing Baby Home and Eve Rodsky’s Fair Play Deck, and how they hold space for one another in both the everyday and the heavy moments (including Mosheh reporting the news daily). We talk emotional labor, people-pleasing, breaking generational patterns, and how parenting on the Upper East Side brings its own set of values to navigate. Alex opens up about her journey to stop pleasing everyone and start pleasing herself (with Mosheh cheering her on), and Mosheh shares how he’s learning to listen and validate instead of fixing. And yes—we also talk about the real difference between protecting kids from the news and empowering them to understand it. This episode is a must-listen for any couple navigating the emotional push-pull that comes with different upbringings, communication styles, or parenting values. Whether you’re just starting out or deep into raising kids, Alex and Mosheh offer a refreshingly honest look at how to bridge the kinds of emotional and cultural gaps that can quietly make—or powerfully strengthen—a relationship. Their story will leave you inspired to do the work, have the conversations, and build something intentional, together. Correction: In this episode, Alex references an astrology app when she says “time passages” but she is referring to “the pattern.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices